Snippets
by Synweaver
Summary: Drabbles, offhand thoughts, lunatic ravings, and occasional bender induced Mondays. Ciao.
1. Organ

_AN: Consider this the first in a series of drabbles. As opposed to putting them in short and single stories. _

_What will they be about? Well Talimance more than likely. Other subjects will appear akin to Humanity and whatnot. _

_Like this first one._

_The setting is in the A New Life universe. If you'll recall, I wrote Samara's idea as simply spending time together as friends. Well, here's something that happened then. _

_Ciao_

Fortunately for Tali, Samara's idea was really paying off. Just getting to be near Shepard made her happy. They had already had so much fun already and that was only on the first day. Thanks to the Citadel's rapid reconstruction, there were people celebrating all over. Fortunately, they brought some of their culture's methods of celebration with them.

She didn't think she'd ever see that many happy Hanar on the human festival of Mardi Gras ever again.

Softly giggling to herself, she made her way back to Shepard's apartment on the Silversun Strip. Amazingly the place had sustained little damage from the Reaper War and the Crucible activation. She recalled Shepard's expression upon first seeing it when the war had just ended. To him, it was a damaged memory of his mentor. They held a moment of silence for the departed Anderson there.

The years had helped Shepard to cope with Anderson's death. It still brought a sad smile to his face but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. Tali was much the same when she lost her father at first. Lucky for her, Shepard was there to console her. It wouldn't be fair not to return the favor.

However as she approached the door, she could hear music being played from inside the apartment. At first she thought Liara had stopped by as she did before the party they had during the war. But the tune wasn't the same one she had played for all to hear. It was…sad.

She headed inside and found Shepard at the piano surprisingly. The door didn't muffle the tune now and the haunting melody carried through the apartment. She found herself drawn to the sound despite how somber it sounded. Perhaps it was really the fact that Shepard even knew how to play that drew her closer.

As she approached, she saw his eyes were closed yet he still hit each key perfectly. Whatever this tune was, he either knew it well or was more talented than they all thought. Either case wouldn't have surprised her. Shepard could be so modest and full of hidden skills sometimes. She stood next to him for a while, watching him play in silence.

His eyes opened and he noticed her standing next to him, his hands fumbling on the keys creating an awful sound. She visibly flinched at this and looked at him in-is that a blush on his cheeks?

"Tali! I-I didn't hear you come in. Sorry." In truth she hadn't heard his apology. She realized that seeing Shepard blush was quite the rare sight.

It was also very cute.

She smiled behind her mask and looked back at the piano. The song may have been sad, but now she wanted to hear it again.

"I didn't know you could play the piano Shepard. You're just full of surprises aren't you?" He chuckled softly, standing up and moving towards the windows.

"I couldn't at first. I spent my time being a soldier rather than a musician. If you can believe it, Glyph taught me."

That made Tali's eyebrows rise. Glyph knew how to play the piano? For that matter, Glyph could teach? She voiced these questions and Shepard chuckled again. She could spend days listening to that laugh…

"Liara left a copy of him here to help clean up. When I had an extended leave a couple years back and nothing to do, Glyph suggested music. A couple weeks after that, I could play the piano pretty well. I'm no Liberace but I have some talent."

Tali didn't recognize the name Shepard mentioned, mentally noting to look it up later. She moved to stand next to Shepard, looking upon the Strip with him.

"What was that tune you were playing? I can't claim to know a lot of music but I've never heard it before. Is it human?" She turned to look at him and saw his expression had darkened, that sweet smile now an upset frown. She immediately regretted asking.

"I-I mean you don't have to tell me I was curious but if it's too much y-you don't have to tell me and I wasn't trying to upset you and I'm sorry and-"

She felt her worries wash away instantly as Shepard's arms wrapped around her suddenly. Happy to let her rambling stop, she wrapped her arms around him, sighing in contentment. She could feel herself being pressed tightly against him and she loved every second of it.

"That is still so cute when you ramble." She giggled and blushed at the compliment, eventually being pushed back gently by Shepard. She looked at him but unfortunately, that somber expression was still on his face.

"Shepard?"

He sat back down on the piano bench and started to play the haunting melody again. Quickly it echoed around the apartment, and Tali felt herself shudder at it.

"This was a song I heard once somewhere long ago. It always stuck with me and I found myself humming it whenever I was sad. It brings me some peace actually."

Tali listened to the tune for a while longer, letting it sink into her before replying.

"It's…"

"Sad I know" He smirked. "But I like it. It's almost therapeutic to me by now. I play it when I'm sad, when I'm happy, mad, hell I sometimes play it just for the sake of it." He looked at her and grinned.

"Like how you kept checking over all your work on the Normandy."

She giggled again and playfully punched his arm.

"You complain but I saved lives with all that checking!"

He laughed and turned back to the keys.

"So you did Miss vas Normandy."

They stayed there in silence for a while, Shepard playing the tune to fill the void. He paused suddenly and moved over on the bench.

"Want to learn it?"

She nodded, smiling wide as she sat next to him, getting as close to him as she could as friends. He guided her hands to the right keys and taught her to play.

Tali would look upon this fond memory some time from now, as she sat on their piano at their home on Rannoch. Shepard would play the tune and look into her beautiful face all the while.

It helped that the piano was very sturdy as well.


	2. Halcyon

_AN: BELCH._

_Setting is ME2, Tali's loyalty mission. _

_The premise? Tali has said that some of their ships are 300 years old. They work hard to keep them together though._

_I'm not saying the damn thing is going to burst into flames or anything. _

_Anyway, here's another blender induced drabble. Shut up it lasts a while._

_Ciao_

Tali still had trouble coming to terms with it really. She had come to the Rayya thinking she'd be exiled from her home. Instead her Captain had shouted down the Admiralty and won her trial. If she somehow didn't love the man before, she sure did now.

The trial ended shortly after that but she hadn't been paying attention. She focused on his last comment.

_"__With all due respect Admirals, I didn't represent one of your people. I represented one of __**mine**__."_

She thought she had heard the possessiveness in his tone there. Could it be that he felt the same way? Or was it really the stress of the day catching up to her…

"Tali…"

She looked up into the visor of Shala'Raan and somehow she knew Raan was upset behind her mask. Not at the trial's outcome, but at the trial itself.

The uncomfortable silence hung between them for too long. Regardless of the trial and hiding her father's status at first, Raan was still her aunt and a trusted family member. Tali opened her mouth to speak-

There was a very loud and very worrying thud as the entire ship rocked suddenly, throwing everyone to the ground. Tali's fall was surprisingly cushioned and when she saw why, she blushed deeply as she found that Shepard had caught her.

When no second thud came, everyone got back up and started running around the ship checking for any damages. Tali stood in the plaza with Raan and Shepard, confusion and worry gripping her tightly. Shepard put his hand to his ear, well his helmet really, and opened the comm channel to the Normandy.

"Joker! What the hell happened?" Despite his loud tone he wasn't mad, only worried. This could get ugly real fast.

"The docking cradle we were hooked up to broke off. We only realized too late and the head of the Normandy smacked into the Rayya's side. We've got control, but that is one bad dent."

Shepard growled to himself, this was the last thing they needed.

"What's the damage?" EDI's cool voice replied this time.

"The Normandy's kinetic barriers prevented any damage to us. With no velocity on the Normandy the damage to the Rayya was minimal. It has suffered a small dent of 3 meters to the side. The damage is negligible and easily repairable. However there are now Quarian Heavy Fleet ships with weapons trained on us."

Given the suddenness of this, Shepard could understand their reaction. Still, this needed damage control immediately.

"Do not engage them or attempt escape. We must show that this was an accident and nothing more. Submit to any restraints they need but don't allow them on the ship Joker. They'll find EDI and things will only get worse."

"Aye aye Commander. What about you and Tali?"

Shepard looked around the plaza, seeing many Quarians checking for damages while the marines and Kal'Reegar worked to maintain order.

"We'll stay on the Rayya Joker. The more we cooperate the sooner we'll have this sorted out."

"Be careful then Shepard. They're not exactly letting us move to another docking cradle so try not to piss them off. Joker out."

Shepard groaned internally, wishing he hadn't yelled at the Admiralty right about now. Still, he had a job to do so he pulled his hand back from the communicator and looked to Tali and Raan already having a chat of their own.

"Raan you know we'll comply. Plus we just saved the Alarei at our own cost! There's no way we would do this intentionally!"

Raan raised her hands in a gesture of harmlessness and Tali visibly cooled down.

"Tali I believe you. I just need to make sure as an Admiral does." Tali let out a frustrated huff but she knew Raan was right. Damn politics…now she saw why Shepard hated it so much.

_Another thing in common with John…if only it could be love as well…_

Distracted by her thoughts, she hadn't heard Raan speaking. Luckily, Shepard had.

"We'll comply with you Admiral Raan. Tali and I will remain here as collateral if need be."

Raan thought Shepard shouting down the Admiralty was surprising already. She never thought he would comply with such lengths over a simple accident.

"I appreciate your cooperation Captain Shepard. Please follow me to a…well…a holding space for the time being. I am sorry to do this-"

"It's alright Admiral. I'd rather do this than have your people calling out for my head." This drew a soft giggle from Tali.

"Commander Shepard felled by a Quarian mob over an accident. Keelah the galaxy would have a field day with this."

They all had a good laugh as they proceeded to the makeshift holding cell, Tali subtly inching herself closer to Shepard along the way. Not subtly for the Admiral however, who grinned silently behind her mask. They were locked in the room with another apology from Raan and then left alone, barring the two marine guards outside the room however.

Tali had only just realized that she was sealed inside a small room with her secret beloved. A room with a purifier in it…and she still had some antibiotics she brought with her.

_No no that's crazy. I can't risk that. Plus Shepard…Shepard doesn't love me. He can't. _

That still put daggers in her heart, enough to make her noticeably recoil.

"Tali? Are you alright?"

_Oops. Guess I did that literally…_

"I-I'm fine Shepard. Just a little shaken is all." Her voice wavered and it only concerned Shepard further. Wordlessly, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her again in a hug. Tali gasped softly in surprise but quickly returned the embrace, burying herself in Shepard.

_Damn you Shepard…why do you have to make this so hard? Why do you keep-ohhhh that feels good…_

Unaware of her thoughts, Shepard had taken to rubbing Tali's back soothingly, assuming her state had been caused by her father's death. He just held her close, whispering tender reassurance in her ear. It was a nice, quiet moment for the two of them. One he felt she deserved, and one she knew she couldn't refuse. Shepard pulled back, eliciting a whimper from Tali only for her to gasp again, louder this time, as she was pulled into Shepard's lap and held close again, her head pulled in close to his chest.

_Keelah! What is he doing! I'm not complaining but-_

"Tali, if you need to cry go ahead. I'm here for you."

She shook her head against his chest, the gesture making her blush.

"I don't need to cry Shepard. I'm out of tears for now." _But I wouldn't mind you holding me some more…_

He chuckled softly and looked up at the ceiling.

"So much for being skilled at reading body language. Anderson would have laughed at me." She giggled in reply, pulling back reluctantly to look Shepard in the eye, a gesture he returned.

"Don't be sad John, I'm sure that happens to lots of humans." He groaned loudly and she laughed hard.

"Why did Gabby ever tell you that!" Tali had just burned him big time and yet he laughed right with her. Eventually they stopped, their quick breathing the only noise in the room…until Tali sneezed and Shepard went right back into concerned mode.

"Tali?"

_Crap._

"It's not a big deal. I took some fire back on the Alarei and it punctured my suit. It's not fatal but it is annoying."

Instinctively Shepard pressed a hand to her head only to realize she still had a helmet on. That suit may accentuate her body's beauty but it could not be an easy life to have. She had again blushed at the gesture, finding it sweet despite her suit.

"I don't know how you do it Tali. You're stuck in that suit and yet you can be so happy."

Tali sighed sadly, knowing that for all the suit did to keep her alive, she still hated it with a passion.

"It is a hard life. We are in our suits even amongst close family. The most intimate thing we can do with another Quarian is link our suit environments. We get sick at first and then we adapt. It's our most important symbol of trust."

"I can imagine…well I can try to anyway. But how does the linking even work?" He'd scratch his head if he could right now.

"It's basically a lot of cables connecting our suits to each other. We get to breathe in each other's air. It's like being in an unclean room without a mask on. It's more about showing that you trust them with your life than anything else though."

Shepard took this in and mulled it over, making them descend into silence until Tali moved to speak up again.

"I don't think I could live in a suit my whole life. You're a lot stronger than I am for enduring that Tali."

She blushed at the compliment and, feeling bold, took his hands in hers.

"I'm not strong for it. If anything I'm weak for it. It keeps me alive. I have to stay in it."

They simply sat in silence for a while before Shepard began rubbing her hands with his thumbs gently.

"Soooo…have you ever had another Quarian's environment before?"

Tali's blush covered her whole body for a minute there.

"What?! No! No no no no no! I haven't trusted anyone enough to do that! Except for…well…no Quarians anyway…"

If she could see his face beyond the Recon Hood, she'd have seen quite the smile on his face.

"I feel the same way Tali. You're the only one I'd trust like that."

Tali was elated at first until she remembered that he didn't understand what he just said. Sighing, she shook her head sadly and looked down at the floor.

"You don't get it. There's a tradition when it comes to linking suits. It signifies a willingness for…um…intimacy." The last word came out as a whisper and Tali was sure her blush could be seen through the mask.

Another silence descended upon them, Tali wishing she could take her words back and Shepard not doing much of anything. Eventually, Tali decided to risk it.

"Sh-Shepard?"

He stood up suddenly and moved to the door, making Tali's heart drop in the process.

_Oh no, I've ruined it! I've ruined everything! Tali you stupid bosh'tet! _

The sound of the room's purifier caught her attention however and she looked at Shepard, wishing she could read his mind.

He made it a lot easier for her.

The Recon Hood was pulled off and thrown to the floor and Tali opened her mouth to voice her worries when he turned to face her.

_Are those…tears?_

"Tali, what are you suggesting?"

Tali had solved a lot of problems in her life. This was looking to be her hardest one though.

_Deep breaths Tali…_

"What could I possibly be suggesting? I mean a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew then goes off to save the galaxy?"

She stood up and moved to him, taking his hands in hers again.

"How couldn't I be interested in you John?"

For the first time since he had met her back on the Citadel, Shepard was speechless. They stood there, staring right into each other's eyes for a while before he pulled his hands up to her mask seals.

Instinctively, she reached up to stop him.

He moved too fast for her though.

They heard the seals pop open and Tali became terrified instantly. She opened her mouth to scream at him to stop…only for his lips to crush hers passionately. Her eyes were wide open and his were shut tightly. She wondered why but it quickly didn't matter.

Moaning into his lips, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, blushing as she felt his wrap around her waist. Their kiss never broke though, getting increasingly passionate and-

_Keelah…he's good…_

Their heated moment was ruined when they had to pull away for air, Shepard hanging his head low oddly enough.

"John? D-did I do something wrong?"

She could feel him stiffen and bark out a laugh.

"Wrong? Tali that was the best kiss I have ever had in my entire life. Make that both lives actually." Another laugh. "You did absolutely nothing wrong."

She gulped, fear gripping her as she asked her next question.

"W-why aren't you looking at me then?"

There was no delay this time.

"Because I want you to show me your face on your own accord, not mine. I was already selfish and I took a kiss from you. I won't rob you of that gesture." He passed the mask to her, still looking away in the process. Though she understood his reasons, she still hated that mask. Especially now that she couldn't kiss him with it on. Still, she obliged, the mask clicking back into place with a hiss, making Shepard finally look back at her with the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face.

It was a couple hours later when they were finally cleared to leave. Surprisingly the entire Admiralty had apologized despite the verbal beat-down Shepard had handed them earlier. As Shepard and Tali stood in the Normandy's airlock, he turned to her and smiled.

"Thank you Tali."

"Thank you? For what?"

He kissed her vocalizer, eliciting another blush.

"Everything."

_Have an idea for the next one? I'm all ears. It's either that or having a fun day with helium. _

_As always, read and review._

_Ciao_


	3. Greetings

_AN: This was the only suggestion I got for my next drabble. A redo of Tali and Shep's first meeting back on the Citadel. _

_I found it hard to add more emotion to what amounted to 30 seconds of combat and 5 minutes of banter._

_So you might want to be drunk or stoned while you're reading this. It might not suck that way. _

_If it still does, well you just have bad taste then._

_Ciao_

The ominous red glow the alley was bathed in did nothing to dissuade Tali'Zorah's growing fear and unease with the whole situation. She was starting to regret ever pulling out that memory core in the first place. All it had gotten her was a dead friend and being hunted across the galaxy.

Still, there was some good happening now. Fist had agreed to set up a meeting with the Shadow Broker and so here she was. Yet as the time ticked by, she grew more and more worried. No sign of anyone passing through this alley barring her and a lone Keeper.

Footsteps alerted her to the top of the nearby stairs where an armed Turian was approaching her. One look at him and she immediately felt unease in her heart. Still, her lessons in body language taught her not to show this to the enemy. Whatever he was here for, she had to assume it was nothing pleasant. In the process however, she did not notice two masked Salarians move behind her.

The Turian came to a stop in front of her, Keelah was he ugly up close.

"Tali'Zorah?" he drawled out in his flanged voice. Somehow, she knew he wasn't on her side.

"Who wants to know?" she carefully replied. The less she revealed the better off this was.

The turian however only narrowed his eyes slightly, anger coloring his face.

"Did you bring the data?" He had stepped closer to her now.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" This was getting tense and fast.

He ran a hand along her cowl, lust now in his eyes. It just made her shudder in revulsion.

"They'll be here. Where's the data?" She pushed his hand off and pulled back.

"No way. The deals off." This was obviously not what the Turian wanted to hear. He stepped back and gave a brief nod to the Salarians behind Tali who tensed up in preparation.

They had obviously never encountered a Quarian before.

Tali quickly looked back and saw the Salarians, grabbing a tech mine from her suit and hurling it at them while she dived for cover. The resulting explosion disoriented them long enough for her to get a defensive position and have her shotgun drawn. She may be outnumbered, but she was trained for this.

The gunfire that sounded through the alleyway brought her combat training to mind. She listened in for proximity, what kind of guns they were using, what mods they had, it was all taught to her before she left for her Pilgrimage.

She heard sniper fire, incendiary rounds with it. It confused her as to why her attackers would have such a weapon in a close quarters environment. Assault rifle fire pulled her out of her thoughts however and she moved further into her cover to avoid stray bullets. The sounds of biotics got her heart pounding though. She hadn't expected one of them to be a biotic and cursed her luck.

Then all at once, the gunfire stopped. She stuck behind her cover, thinking they were trying to sneak up on her.

A Human's voice caught her attention however.

"Garrus, try to find any ID on them. There might be a way we can link them to Saren. Wrex, fish out any other would-be assassins. I'll see if I can't find this Quarian. If not, we'll then I'll hopefully not be looking up Quarian funeral rites."

She heard an acknowledgement from the two others the human had mentioned and realized they must have killed her attackers. That didn't mean she could trust them though. She stuck to her cover as she heard heavy footsteps approach her position. She inched closer to the edge of her cover, ready to strike if need be.

The Human entered her sights and she reacted quickly, grabbing him and holding her shotgun to his head. The sounds of the brief scuffle drew the attention of the others and as they came into view she was glad she had grabbed the Human and not the Turian or the Krogan, both of whom had their guns trained on her.

"Nobody move! Or I shoot! Guns down now!" She had to force the confidence into her tone and it paid off when the Turian and Krogan lowered their weapons to the ground.

The human cleared his throat, she never understood why they did that, but it got her attention.

"You must be the Quarian Fist had set up."

That meant they had come for her. So they had attacked her attackers to save her. Nice but it didn't make her drop her gun.

"What makes you think that." She couldn't give anything away now. She had to show she was in control.

The human's chuckling unnerved her though. That control was slipping.

"Alright I understand you're scared and probably still in shock. But can I just say I'm impressed at you. We saw the tech mine you used and you managed to capture me as a hostage. Bravo."

The compliment shook her but she recovered quickly.

"Don't try to distract me human. And don't be so arrogant in the future. It cost you as you can see."

He laughed this time, as if he wasn't being used as a hostage.

"True. That would be a bad thing to have. But in my case it is somewhat earned. N7 operatives don't usually get grabbed by young Quarians, or anybody for that matter. So again, bravo."

She let a small growl escape her at this human. He seemed so carefree. She wondered if he had even fought back there, if this was all just a mind game.

"Who are you human?"

A grin. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. To answer your follow up question, I heard you have data that can help me prove Saren Arterius is guilty of treason and of the attack on Eden Prime."

Suddenly Tali felt very sheepish.

"Oh…um…sorry." She let go of the Commander and stepped back, worried about what would happen now.

He smiled at her, and now that she could see his face…

_Keelah…humans can be this handsome?_

"No trouble at all Miss…"

"Oh! I'm Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

He nodded, motioning to the other two to be at ease.

"Tali, these are members of my squad. The Turian is Garrus Vakerian and the Krogan is Urdnot Wrex." He turned back to face her.

"Now then, are you alright?"

Somehow, she didn't think she'd ever understand this human. He acted like being held at gunpoint was some kind of casual occurrence and now he was checking to see if she was okay?

"I-I'm fine. You said you wanted the data I have right? Well at least I can pay you back for saving my life."

Shepard nodded to her and held his hand out.

_Oh right! This is the human handshake!_

Smiling behind her mask, she grasped his hand in hers and gave him a firm shake.

"We should take her to your Human embassy Shepard. Your Ambassador will want to see this."

Shepard turned back to the Turian and nodded.

"Agreed Garrus." He faced her again. "Will you come with us now Miss Zorah?"

_Keelah, the way he says it…_

"I will. And please, call me Tali."

He smiled.

"Tali it is."

_Frankly I'm surprised at how it turned out. I figured I'd suck at combat scenes. _

_Suggestion for the next one? Leave something in your review._

_Ciao_


	4. Good Times

_AN: Alright here we go again. By which I mean here you go again subjected to the vomit-scented spiral of crap that is the stories I pump out._

_The premise? After defeating Saren and Sovereign, the crew head to a bar and Tali does something bold that even shocks our Commander._

_To Silhouette55, I'll get on your idea after this one. I like it, it just requires more thought. It's hard to write jealous people without making them seem too jealous and possessive. Fine line and all that._

_Anyway, you've waited long enough._

_Ciao_

After all the medals, ceremonies, and charming photo-ops had been finished, Commander Shepard was somehow more exhausted from all of that than he was when fighting Saren. Hell even the chase for him was easier than all of that political crap he'd had to slog through.

Well at least there was one bright light in the midst of it all. His crew had willingly chosen to stand by him through all of it. While he was grateful, his vision had focused on Tali alone. His sweet Quarian engineer had captured his heart and she didn't even know it.

Still, at least she loves him in his dreams.

So with all the celebrations over and done with, Shepard headed up to Flux to meet up with his crew for their own relatively private celebration.

Unsurprisingly, they had gotten started without him.

Wrex and Garrus seemed to be in the middle of a drinking contest…if you could call it that. Garrus was pounding back rounds of some Turian drink while Wrex appeared to be drinking entire kegs of Ryncol.

Well, no drinking contests with Wrex anytime soon.

His eyes drifted over to the bar where Kaiden and Liara were talking to each other. Based on the red, well blue in Liara's case, on their cheeks, they were either very drunk or very embarrassed. He chuckled to himself and continued looking over the bar for-

"Shepard! Therrrre you are!"

His attention was drawn to his side when a rather drunk Tali latched onto him with all the grace of a wolverine high on angel dust.

"Tali? You're drunk. Wait how are you drunk?"

She giggled and nuzzled into his side.

"Verrrrrry carefully!" She giggled again and pressed closer against him, eliciting a small blush from Shepard.

"I think you've had too much to drink Tali."

She shook her head fervently, as if the very idea was insane.

"Nooo I'm fine Shepard…Oooh let's dance!" Without giving him chance to protest, she pulled him onto the dance floor somehow and quickly started grinding against him to the tune of the beat.

For once, Shepard was grateful for being on the dance floor as the dark environment hid his brush pretty well.

Tali on the other hand didn't care one way or the other what she was doing. The heat of the moment had almost completely engulfed her.

She was capable of feeling how good it was to grind her body against Shepard's though.

Eventually though her movements became less about dancing and more about wildly flailing about. Shepard had decided she had enough by that point and pulled her away from the dance floor, Tali drunkenly giggling along the way.

"Sheparrrd how forward of you! Taking advantage of a porr Quarian!"

He was glad she wasn't looking at him or she'd have seen him be as red as Wrex's armour.

He had to pick her up in his arms like a bride after a while when she kept falling down, a gesture she made her appreciation of very well known. Somehow Shepard could imagine this moment under happier circumstances. One where'd they would go through the door of their home as a newly wedded couple…

"Mmm Shepard…where are we going?"

He smiled despite the situation.

"I'm taking you back to the Normandy Tali."

"Ooh am I going to the Captain's cabin? How scandalous of you Shepard, the Hero of the Citadel sleeping with a Quarian."

They entered the elevator and it began it's annoyingly slow ascent to the Normandy's dock.

"I'm not going to sleep with you Tali."

She gasped rather dramatically at this.

"But Shepard! I want to sleep with you! Oooh you're blushing! It's so cute!"

Shaking his head of the thoughts of Tali in his bed, unsurprisingly it took a while, he directed his attention back to the Quarian in his arms.

"Tali you're really drunk. I'm going to put you in your room."

She giggled again, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

"You're joining me in the bed then. Not spending another night without you." This got his attention.

"What makes you say that Tali?"

She snuggled into his chest, sighing in contentment.

"I've wanted you since you saved me in that alley Shepard. I watched you as you saved those colonists on Feros. I watched you as Ash died on Virmire. I've watched you and wanted you all this time." She suddenly moved out of his hold, standing in front of him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Make love to me Shepard."

_I had planned more, but I think you can guess what. He'd have taken her back to her room, gone to his, and spent the night thinking over it all. _

_I don't have time for that shit._

_So Silhouette55 is next. Jealous Shepard eh? This should be fun. _

_Suggestion's for friend's race? I'll probably use a Quarian but I figured I'd ask._

_As always, if you have an idea tell me in your review._

_Ciao_


	5. Future

_AN: So here's Rogen80's suggestion._

_The premise is the "cliff scene" from ME3 after Shepard has reclaimed Rannoch. In this case, it's either a Quarian victory or peace being the catalyst._

_I'm going with peace._

_Anyway, Rogen80 suggest having them talk about their futures and kiss and all that. _

_The dialogue in the game is too good to pass up on here. So forgive the copy/paste of it. It's been a long day._

_Ciao_

**"****FINISH YOUR WAR. WE WILL BE WATCHING."**

With those words the Reaper died, its menacing red eye fizzing out into nothingness. Shepard allowed himself a proud smile at seeing another of those genocidal bastards die.

"Shepard!" He turned to feel his lover's arms embrace him quickly, a gesture he was more than happy to return.

"We can confirm that the Geth are no longer being directed by the Old Machines. We are free." Legion's voice brought them out of their little moment and they stepped back from each other to address it.

"You did it Shepard! The Geth fleet has stopped firing! They're completely vulnerable!" One didn't need to strain to hear the bloodlust in Han'Gerrel's tone.

"Shepard-Commander? The Geth only acted in defense after the Creators attacked. Do we deserve death?" Legion was right, and he had said earlier that if he could preserve the Geth as well he would. Still…

"What are you suggesting Legion?"

"Our upgrades." Legion moved towards the Reaper corpse as it spoke. "With the Old Machine dead, we could upload them to all Geth without sacrificing their independence."

"You want to upload the Reaper code? That would make the Geth as smart as when the Reaper was controlling them!" Tali's voice only made his worry grow. This was getting ugly and fast.

"Yes, but with free will. Each Geth unit would be a true intelligence. We would be alive, and we could help you."

"No! Our Fleet is already attacking! Uploading the code would destroy us! John, you can't choose the Geth over my people!" Tali's fear was easily visible. She had lived her whole life for her people and now they could be exterminated on a gamble.

"Do you remember the question that caused the Creators to attack us Tali'Zorah?" Legion turned to face them, hope in its eye.

"Does this unit have a soul?"

Since Eden Prime, Shepard had made a lot of hard decisions. Sparing the Rachni Queen, leaving Ash to die on Virmire, destroying the Collector Base and curing the Genophage.

Again, a gamble for an entire race.

"Upload the code Legion. Tali, call off the fleet if you can."

Shepard could hear them working away, all the while he was trying to figure out how to pull another miracle out of his ass. He growled when he heard Gerrel's denial and insistence on fighting.

Then he saw Tali begging Legion to stop, and his heart broke.

"No, nobody else dies today! Legion, keep going." Tali turned to him, her eyes full of questions.

"John?"

"All ships, this is Commander fucking Shepard. The Reaper is dead! I order you all to stand down immediately!"

Tali had never seen this side of Shepard's wrath before. She had seen him do crazy things before and if this saved her people…

"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. Shepard speaks with **my** authority."

"And mine as well!" Koris chimed in.

"Negative! We can win this war! Keep firing!"

"60 percent."

"The Geth are about to get off their asses and slaughter you all! If you stand down, that will not happen! Your entire history is you trying to kill the Geth and it never fucking worked before!" He steeled himself, and said his last bit.

"The Geth don't want to fight you! If you can believe that for one minute, this war will be over. You have a choice, and for once think of yourselves this time."

There was a long silence, fear only growing in that time.

"One soldier to another Shepard. All ships, stand down." He couldn't help the massive grin that covered his face.

"Uploading complete. All Geth are now…free." Legion looked up to the Rannoch sky and for the first time in his life, it felt happy. It felt peace.

"Well Legion, how does free will feel like?" Legion turned to Shepard.

"I would smile if I could. Then hit you for risking my entire race." Amazingly, they all shared a laugh.

"How about that Legion. You're learning how Quarians feel about each other." Tali's smile was wide behind her mask.

"If this is what you value so highly in your society, I find you all to be…bosh'tets." Tali gasped in mock offence and Shepard just laughed harder.

"Commander!" Their eyes were drawn to Admiral Raan as she approached them, clutching her side. Legion was the first to run to help her, a gesture that did not immediately inspire feelings of gratitude.

"Admiral Raan, do you require medical attention?"

"I…no I am fine…Legion. I will pull through." Shepard approached them.

"Are you both going to be okay?" Legion nodded and Raan spoke up.

"I think so Commander. It will be difficult to adjust to, but we will handle it."

Legion and Raan limped off, talking about colonization efforts while Shepard looked back to the cliff side where his beloved stood watching the sunset. He went to her and stood by her side.

"Shopping for another house?" She grinned and looked at him.

"Beachfront property."

"Claim it fast. Y'know, before I do. I think I might like my own planet after all this." She laughed and pushed him playfully.

"Bosh'tet." She sat down on the ground and he followed, both with their knees to their chests.

"You okay? I know it won't be easy working with the Geth." She scoffed, looking at the sunset.

"For once, screw the Geth. I'm coming with you."

A sigh. "I wasn't going to ask Tali."

She turned to him. "Why not?"

He looked away. "Because I love you dammit! I want nothing more than for you to be with me! I'd stop fighting the Reapers if it meant we could just live the rest of our lives together."

She turned to him suddenly, pushing him on his back and crawling on top of him. It was their first night together all over again.

"So ask me John. Ask me to stay and I will. Ask me to go and I plan on keeping you here on a leash mister."

He chuckled and raised a hand to the side of her mask.

"Tali…"

She shook her head. "I don't know if we can win. I don't know if we can beat the Reapers. But whatever happens," She paused to take off her mask, her beautiful face again revealed to him. "I want to be with you. Nothing will ever change that."

He smiled and pulled her down for a deep kiss, the two lovers enjoying each other in their moment of peace.

"I bet you say that to every guy who gets you a homeworld." She giggled.

"Only the charming, handsome, dashing Commanders. There is such a shortage of those though."

"Ah so I'm one of a kind huh? Your own personal treasure."

"Damn right mister. You're all mine."

They shared another kiss and simply held each other, watching the sunset with happy smiles.

"So, how big is your house going to be?" She smirks and moves back into his eyesight.

"My house? Oh no. It's our house John. You and I will live in our house on our homeworld. No arguments." He smirked.

"Oh really? Do I get any say in this?"

"Sure. You can sleep on the couch or in our bed that has me in it. You decide." She smirked right back and laughed with him.

The sun was finally disappearing, Rannoch being blanketed in the night sky in the process. Just before it vanished for the day, John and Tali shared one last passionate kiss as the stars twinkled above them.

_There you go Rogen80._

_As for the profanity, again it's a matter of my personality slipping through. I don't know about you but I'd be swearing quite a lot at that moment._

_Not killing Legion. Uh uh. Fuck that. _

_Silhouette55, that idea is proving too much. Too many ideas scrapped. So I'm going to pass on it. Sorry._

_Ciao._


	6. Assurances

_AN: No suggestion this time._

_Premise is ME3. The chat with Tali in Shepard's cabin. _

_Naturally it's a Talimance._

_Ciao_

Tali still found herself wringing her hands when she was nervous. She had thought spending all that time with Shepard would have cured her of that damnable habit. She blushed as she recalled all of their time spent together, finding a happy smile cross her face.

Well, at least he liked it. He called it cute.

She finally got through the blasted security checkpoint and headed to the elevator, sending it to the first floor and leaning against the wall patiently…well she tried to be patient anyway.

She was bursting at the seams in excitement at seeing her boyfriend again. Those lonely six months had been hell on her. Her custom Nerve-Stim didn't do much for her on those long nights. It was official, technology couldn't duplicate Shepard.

The elevator stopped and opened up to reveal the foyer of Shepard's cabin. She quickly made her way to his door, it opening up for her as she did so. She headed inside, spotted him, and promptly barreled into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tight and burying her head in his chest.

She could feel him chuckle and she purred as she felt his arms wrap around her. Once again, she felt at home.

"You miss me Tali?" Her purrs turned deep as she simply held him closer.

"Yes. Now let me enjoy this. I hated these past six months so much." He smiled and acquiesced, keeping her close and loved.

They stood there in content silence for what felt like hours, eventually pulling apart reluctantly. Tali reached up and ran a gloved hand over his cheek, a fresh scar now there.

"My poor John. Always risking your life for everyone else." He turned and kissed her palm, eliciting another blush from her.

"Part of the job. That's what I get for not reading the contract closely." He grinned and she giggled, happy to hear his voice again.

"You sure it's not the benefits? I doubt many galactic heroes get their own private warship and limitless freedom." He shrugged, pulling her close again.

"Hmm warship and limitless freedom is nice…but I like the personal benefits. Having my own Quarian bed-warmer is pretty nice." He smirked and she whapped his chest playfully.

"You are such a, what is the human word, slimeball! Yeah that's what you are." He laughed and dramatically fell back.

"Oh no! I've been wounded by such a blow! The galaxy is dooooooomed!" They had a good laugh at the silliness of it all, moving toward his couch and snuggling down on it.

Tali closed her eyes in contentment, lazily running her hand along his chest. This was the kind of quality time she needed. Just her and her boyfriend, no galaxy burning around them. As John kept his arms around her, she lost herself in the feeling of being loved.

"Tali, I'm sorry but are you okay?"

Sometimes she hated his concern and compassion.

"No, no I'm really not. 17 million lives are riding on me and I don't know if I can save them. I hate this war so damn much John." He said nothing at first, only keeping her close and rubbing her back gently.

"Correction. That's 17 million riding on **us** Tali. You're not alone here and you never will be." She sighed happily, pressing her vocalizer to his chest in a makeshift kiss.

"Thank you John. Still, this was supposed to be my father's fight! He left me with all of this! If they die because of me…if…" He kissed her head and gave her a tight hug.

"We'll save them Tali. All of them. I promise." She sighed, this time with anger and turned to look up at the ceiling.

"I feel like a big joke. Always trying to show them that the admiral's daughter knows what she's doing." His arms wrapped around her stomach and she patted them gently.

"Then don't be the admiral's daughter. Be Tali'Zorah, the woman who destroyed a Reaper, who killed thousands of Geth." He tilted her chin up to face him, albeit upside down.

"The woman I love with all my heart."

She smiled wide behind her mask, then realized he probably couldn't see it.

"Um…could you turn on the decontamination unit John?" He smirked but got up to do so.

"That eager for me Tali? I'd have thought you'd at least wait for the admirals to leave before you pounced on me again." He turned the unit on and she blushed madly at his words, then grew a smirk to rival his.

"Think that much of yourself Commander? Perhaps I should try love with someone else instead. They might even be better." The unit chimed that it was done and faster than she could blink, he had moved back to her, popped off her mask and taken her lips in a possessive kiss.

She was all too happy to comply with him. Well, this time anyway.

"Don't even think about it Miss vas Normandy. You're mine lest you forget." He growled the words out and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Just as long as you know that it goes both ways **Captain**."

He nodded in reply, rejoining her on the couch and pulling her into his lap. She smiled wide and kissed his cheek.

"I love you John'Shepard vas Normandy. So much."

"I love you too Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya. So much more than you do." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Always a competition with you men isn't it?" He grinned and pecked her nose.

"You love it. It means I fight that much harder for your love." She purred and snuggled in close.

"John?"

"Yes Tali?"

"If you're ever lonely, let me know okay? I don't care what I'm doing, I'll drop it all for you." She held him tighter as she spoke.

"Tali…"

"No. No I mean that. No matter what, you call for me. Don't be a selfless bosh'tet Shepard. Not now, when we could die at any second."

A silence hung around them as Tali kept close to him and Shepard kept his arms around her. Only the sounds of their breathing broke the silence ever so slightly.

It was about an hour later when his hand slowly drifted down to squeeze her backside, drawing a yelp and a blush from his lover.

"I'm feeling lonely right now Tali." She blushed harder.

"O-oh…oh Keelah…"

_Not too bad for my own design._

_Remember, I can't do every suggestion you make._

_Enjoy yourselves people._

_Ciao_


	7. Order

_AN: So here's PATR10TJD's idea. _

_They suggested the meeting post Geth Dreadnaught mission. Where you confront Gerrel and either agree with him or gut punch him._

_Some writers have gotten creative with this section. _

_Here's hoping._

_Ciao_

Legion landed the Geth fighter ship in the Normandy's cargo bay with ease. It was designed for his race after all. Apparently though, this was not something to take pride in as Shepard immediately hopped out of the fighter and stormed off to the elevator, Tali and Garrus sprinting in after him to stop what they knew was going to happen.

"Shepard it was a proper military action. You know it, I know it, and Gerrel knows it." The Turian tried to calm Shepard by appealing to his soldier nature.

Unfortunately, Shepard wasn't a soldier right now.

"Garrus, I get it, but I am still going to bash his mask in and make him eat the glass." A rough sigh escaped Garrus and Tali repressed a violent shudder.

She understood his anger, really she did. Hell, she wanted to beat the Admiral herself. Still, her people mattered to her and this was for her people. Being an Admiral short would not be a good idea right.

_Oh wait…we already are. Koris could be gone…_

Her melancholy thoughts drew a heavy sigh from her, then a heavy blush as she felt her boyfriend's arms wrap around her.

"I'm mad Tali but not enough to kill him. Garrus is right, I do see what he was doing. Doesn't mean I like having my girlfriend and best friend in danger when there's nothing I can do about it." His words quickly calmed her nerves and she leaned back in his embrace.

"Thank you John. I know he doesn't deserve it but thank you." She smiled when she felt him kiss her neck.

"What can I say? I'm in love." She purred and turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck happily.

"Uh I'm still here you know. I know I said get a room but did it have to be one with me in it?" Both Shepard and Tali turned to him and smirked.

"What's wrong Garrus? Are we making you…uncomfortable?"

"Now now Tali, we shouldn't tease him like this. That wouldn't be very fair."

"We've been fair before?"

"As always, good point love." They laughed at Garrus' groan and when he bolted out of the elevator when they reached the CIC. Sadly they had to regain composure now and separated, their hands lingering together in one last hold before they had to go play politicians again. They passed through the checkpoint and headed to the war room, hearing the arguing between the Admirals in the process.

"You go to far Gerrel! I should have you charged with treason for this!" Raan's aged voice echoed through the room.

"I was within my authority as Admiral of the Heavy Fleet Raan. The Dreadnaught was disabled, we had a prime opportunity, and I took it. You would have done the same thing!"

"Don't compare yourself to me Gerrel! You fired on the ship while Tali'Zorah and Captain Shepard were still on board! You could have killed our best chance for the homeworld and the galaxy's best chance at not being destroyed by the Reapers!"

Gerrel's attention was drawn to the door when Shepard and Tali entered through.

"See Raan? You worry too much. They're alive and fine."

"That doesn't matter now Gerrel. You still attacked them!"

"Shepard, the mission parameters changed. You're a soldier you understand this. This was something we couldn't ignore." Shepard stopped in front of Gerrel and crossed his arms.

"You are right Admiral." He thought he could see Gerrel smile. "Just give me some advance warning next time." Gerrel nodded, then turned back to face Raan.

"At least someone else is a soldier in here." Raan glared at Gerrel and moved back to her terminal. Shepard's hand on Gerrel's arm however caught her eye.

"A further warning **Admiral**, while you are on my ship you will follow my rules. And if I say to hold your fire, YOU FUCKING HOLD IT! Is that understood?" The room went silent at Shepard's tone, trembling ever so slightly.

"Understood Captain." Gerrel spat out and Shepard let go of him.

"Good." Shepard left after that, leaving the four Admirals alone. Tali and Raan were secretly smiling at his snap against Gerrel, Gerrel was fuming at the treatment and Xen couldn't care less. Gerrel turned back to his terminal and prepared to leave, mumbling to himself all the while.

Some of his comments were heard by Tali however.

Unsurprisingly, she did not appreciate them.

"Watch your tone Gerrel! That **human** is saving our entire race from a war that you dragged us into!" Gerrel snapped to attention and glared at her.

"I dragged us into?! There was a majority vote Tali! Don't you dare try to pin this on me!" She snarled at him, giving him a swift kick to the stomach.

"Did Raan or Xen rally the crowd Gerrel? Do they command the Heavy Fleet? Face it Han, this war is your fault!" With that, she stormed out, not looking back at the gasping Admiral. She pushed past the checkpoint and went to the elevator, heading up to Shepard's cabin.

She found his armor pieces in the foyer and picked them up, bringing them inside and setting them on his desk. She heard his shower running and let a sly smirk cross her face, her previous anger suddenly gone. She quietly crept inside the room to sneak a peak at her boyfriend.

Seeing the blood however changed that idea.

All mischief gone, she quickly moved inside the shower and put her hands around him, feeling him put has hands on hers in reply.

"Hey Tali. You need me for something?" She shook her head against him, uncaring of the water cascading on them both.

"Just let me have this Shepard. That's all I ask."

The two simply stood there for a while, keeping each other close and secure.


	8. Hello Again

_AN: Alright, it's Silhouette55's turn._

_They suggested a redo of Freedom's Progress. _

_Having just gotten through the same job and saw some new things, I'm game for that._

_On with the show._

_Ciao_

The shuttle landed on the platform with relative silence and its occupants stepped out. Three humans at that.

"So brief me a little here. What have you found, if at all, at the previous colonies?" The lead human questioned, clad in a black suit of armor with a red and white stripe running down the right arm and a small N7 on the chest-plate.

"Nothing at all Commander, except that every man, woman and child is gone. No signs of attack even." The dark skinned human replied. The lead human seemed to take this in silently.

"Odds are we won't find anything here Commander. But we are the first ones here so our odds are better than previous attempts." The third human, a preposterously curvaceous human in a tight outfit that almost seemed like an enviro-suit.

Those thoughts drew a huff from the individual who watched the humans through hacked security cameras. Those humans would never know what it was like to live in a suit your whole life. The purple clad quarian waved her omni-tool holding the camera feed away and returned back to her squad. They had to hurry to rescue Veetor.

The humans entered in one of the prefabs, the lights flickering on in the process.

"Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." The dark human noted, drawing a grin from the armored human.

"They must have been served something terrible then Jacob." The two men shared a laugh and the woman had small smile.

"A meal that makes you leave the entire planet. Hmm…I'm guessing bad meatloaf. How about you Miranda?" The woman turned to face Jacob.

"Not a bad guess. I'd have suggested fish myself." The lead human laughed again.

"A bad fish? How can you do that unless it's still alive?"

"You'd be surprised Shepard. We've made lots of ways to butcher food."

"Oh crap you're right. I might have to start eating nutrient paste. At least that can't be screwed up."

"Yeah other than the fact that it tastes like ass."

"Jacob how scandalous. How would you know what ass tastes like?" Miranda was leaning against the wall and laughing while Shepard had a big smirk on his face.

"Bite me Shepard." Jacob smirked right back at him. "What kind of CO insinuates that anyway?"

"I'll give you a hint. He's got two thumbs and he just came back from the dead."

The purple clad quarian was looking through the map of the colony, trying to find where Veetor would likely be. The other quarians who had accompanied her were preparing for a fight. They had been informed of the shuttle's arrival and the logo it sported.

Cerberus.

Unlike the creature it was named after, these dogs didn't guard gates.

So a plan was being made to safely and quietly get Veetor out of their reach. That was about the time when the door to their shelter opened up and the humans stepped through.

"Stop right there!" Another quarian shouted, aiming an assault rifle at the intruders. The purple one stepped between the two, trying to defuse the situation quickly.

"Prazza, you said you'd let me handle this!" She turned to face the group of humans and found her voice suddenly gone.

"Shepard?" The lead human smiled at this and lowered his weapon, signaling the other two with him to do the same.

"Well the suit's changed but I'm guessing that's still my favorite quarian under there. How have you been Tali?" There it was again, that easygoing grin.

That same stupid grin she had fallen in love with.

It didn't mean she was any less angry right now.

"How have I been? You just show up after being 'dead' for two years, working for an enemy of my people and act like it's just another day? Even you aren't that stupid Shepard." His grin turned into a smirk.

"Speaking of stupid, guess who thought it would be a good idea to bring me back?"

_Keelah, an enemy bringing back my John…_

"So is that why you're with Cerberus? Gratitude?" He shook his head, that smirk still ever present.

"Nah. Favor for a favor it looks like. I investigate this colony, they brought me back to do it. Seems a bit excessive but maybe they were hoping I'd do my usual brand of investigation." This drew a soft giggle from her.

"Your usual brand? I recall Garrus putting much of the pieces together Shepard."

"Aaaaand who gave him the pieces?" Now she shook her head, smiling behind her mask.

"It's good to have you back Shepard, horrible sense of humor intact." He smiled as well and held out a hand, echoing their first meeting all over again.

"Likewise Miss nar Rayya."

She felt herself melt at the way he said her name.

"It'll be good working with you again Shepard."

"You sure about that Tali? I tend to make things explode everywhere I go. Give me 30 seconds and I'll have the whole colony on fire." This got a laugh out of everyone surprisingly.

Naturally, the shit hit the fan from there. From Veetor reprograming the mechs to attack them to Prazza betraying her and rushing off ahead, this job had not gone well.

Without the marine backup, Tali and what quarians remained stood no chance against the powerful YMIR mech that had slaughtered Prazza and those who followed him. Given the fact that it had now turned its sights on her, she was sure she was going to die.

_At least I got to see Shepard one last time._

The mech launched a missile at her and she closed her eyes, awaiting the end.

The end seemed to be taking a while though oddly enough.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes again to see Shepard standing in front of her, arms outstretched to protect her.

_He stopped the missile…wait…how did he do that?_

Her attention was then drawn to the fact that Shepard was smoking…and he smelled like melted-

"Keelah Shepard!" She pulled him away from the fight and into the prefab where she had kept the other wounded and able. She got a better look at him and saw…

"What did you do! Try to catch the damn thing?!" He chuckled at that.

_He's laughing at this! Why did I ever love this crazy bosh'tet…_

"I catch missiles. It's this thing I do." He smiled at her and she felt herself blush again.

"Bosh'tet."

"You love it. Now then, back to work." Not giving her a chance to argue, he sprinted back out into the courtyard and fought the mech alongside Miranda and Jacob.

_Damn that selfless bosh'tet…I'm going to have to keep him pinned to a bed forever-no bad Tali! Stop thinking about him like that!_

Shaking such indecent _but enticing_ thoughts from her mind, she saw Shepard and the two humans move into Veetor's shelter. After taking care of the wounded, she followed them in.

"Grab the quarian and call the shuttle."

Boy did she have great timing.

"What?! Veetor needs medical treatment not an interrogation!"

"We're not going to hurt him. We just need to see what he knows." The darker skinned human answered her.

"Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you we'll never get the data we need." Tali was already very sure she hated this woman. With her skintight suit and her damn eyes roaming **her **John.

_I am so going to kill you._

"Prazza was an idiot and he and his men paid for it. You can take Veetor's omni-tool data but let me take him back to the Flotilla."

"You don't have to go Tali. You can come with us and go save the galaxy again. Hey maybe this time you can be the hero." Sadly, she found herself shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Shepard, really I am, but I can't go with you. I have a mission of my own now and it's too important for me to leave it, even for you." She could see the sadness in his eyes and it broke her heart.

_Just wait for me a little longer Shepard._

He turned back to face Miranda, the Commander mask back in place.

"He's traumatized and needs treatment. He goes with Tali." A scowl crossed the woman's face and Tali smirked at her reaction.

"Very well Commander." She and the other human went off, presumably to their shuttle, leaving her and John alone.

Well, Veetor was there but at least he didn't seem to be…"with it" as the humans would say.

She suddenly found herself with an up close view of Shepard's chest and the warm feeling of his arms wrapped around her tightly.

She hadn't blushed this hard before in her entire life.

"Sh-Shepard?"

"I missed you Tali. So damn much. This will have to do until I next see you."

This brought tears to her eyes, knowing that her next mission could also be her last. But with Shepard back, she'd be damned if she didn't fight to stay alive through it.

_I'll stay alive for you Shepard. Only you._

She wrapped her arms around him as he did with her and they held each other in silence.

For Tali, those flames of love she had for him only burned harder and brighter.

For Shepard, he could get used to having Tali like this.


	9. Tick Tock

_I don't need to label these by now do I? _

_Hmph…life has not been kind lately. Apologies if this is noticeable in the writing._

_Rogen80 suggested Tali first touching a flower. I have yet to find the actual moment in game where this is mentioned but there are a lot of things I haven't found so it is ultimately irrelevant. _

_Ciao_

Tali had always been fond of surprises. They were an endless source of amusement for her when she was younger. As the years went by though, her love of surprises turned into bitter cynicism about it. She would have considered it quite the surprise for her father to say he loved her at least once in his damn life.

He never did and never would now. So much for that surprise.

Still, as she was being lead along by her husband and bondmate, she recalled these childlike feelings again. Despite burying them for years, she let them return. John was always good at surprising her and he did so love to spoil her.

She always made sure to return the favor, multiple times a night. Quarian nature after all.

So this time she was told to keep her eyes closed all the while. That was unfortunate, she loved to ogle him when his back was turned. Based on the path they were taking, with all of its twists and turns, wherever they were headed was hard to find.

They eventually came to a stop and good timing to boot. She was getting annoyed with all this secrecy.

"Alright Tali, we're here. You can open your eyes now." She did so immediately and gasped at the sight before her.

"I take it you like it?"

"Keelah John…how did…where did all this come from?"

The sight in question was truly a small slice of paradise hidden away on Rannoch. It was full of beautiful flowers and perfectly hidden away. Yet somehow, the secretive nature of it all made it seem all the more beautiful. There were all kinds of flowers that she had never seen before.

"I wish I could take the credit for all this but I don't think the flowers would like me very much then." Even in her awestruck state, she still paid enough attention to him to hear what he said. As always, it made her giggle.

"Commander Shepard felled by flowers, galaxy has gardeners lead them into glorious battle against the fiends!" He laughed at that, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Mmm and where would that leave you? Fighting them off in revenge?" She purred and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll take them all to the grave." She grinned at him and they touched foreheads, the quarian kiss as it was known. They remained like that for a while, staring into each other's eyes before they pulled back slightly.

"I know it's no clean room but, would you like to feel one Tali?" She nodded and moved away from him to take off her gloves. He meanwhile moved on ahead for the flower he wanted to show her.

_There you are, right where I left you little one_

"Over here Tali! This is the one I really wanted to show you." She made her way to him and gasped again at the flower he had found.

Perhaps flowers was the better word given what she saw.

There were two of them, entwined together as if they were in a tender embrace. One had purple petals and a black stem while they other had blue petals and a red stem.

"Tali, meet your own flower." She looked at him, confusion on her face.

"My own flower? I don't understand."

He smiled softly.

"The purple one reminds me of you. It even has your colors. Plus it's keeping the other one standing tall and strong. Just like you do for me." She felt tears come to her eyes and she hugged him tightly, smiling when his arms wrapped around her as well.

"Thank you John. Thank you so much."

Tali recalled this fond memory as she picked the same two flowers, entwined as always from her own garden at their house. He had wanted to keep the symbol with them forever and she happily agreed.

She took it along with her on this walk, holding it with the utmost care. It couldn't be mangled at all today.

She reached her destination quickly, finding she had walked faster than she thought. She was eager, and yet that bothered her.

She kneeled down at the marker, placing the flowers at the base and simply sat there, enjoying the silence for a while.

Her omni-tool chimed with the timed alert and she turned it off. No interruptions, not now. Not today.

"Happy anniversary John. I love you." She tearfully spoke as she stared unwaveringly at the gravestone.

_And you thought it would be another romance._

_Hmm…more emotion into finding Rael huh? Should I lay off the tragedy for a little bit after this one?_

_As always, leave a suggestion if you have one._

_Ciao_


	10. Day in, Day out

_To offset the tragedy of the previous installment, here's some more fluff. _

_Coming up next, Rael perhaps._

_Ciao_

Commander Shepard was a very skilled combat engineer. He graduated at the top of his class on Grissom Academy and received accolades of all kinds for his skill and knowledge. He had even managed to hack into Collector and Reaper tech, further proving his capabilities.

However, for all these things that he was, one thing he was not was patient when tech proved to be uncooperative.

See this scenario here as the Hero of the Galaxy was getting increasingly frustrated while trying to modify his combat drone. Oh it wasn't like it was malfunctioning or wasn't a handy asset to have or anything.

No it was the color settings oddly enough.

Tali had made her drone a purple and orange mix and Legion had his green and red. Shepard had affectionately dubbed it "Little Santa," finding it more hilarious than cute when Legion started doing the same. Then again, she was a technical prodigy and he was an advanced AI so perhaps it was just easier for them.

But he was Commander goddamn Shepard. He could beat impossible odds daily but he couldn't change the color of his drone? Needless to say, this did not sit well with him.

While he was fuming over this, his beloved wasn't doing much better herself. Now in charge of "Suit Monitoring" as the Admiralty had called it, Tali's new job was to make sure the Geth weren't doing anything sneaky while they were uploaded inside the suits of Quarians. A rather pointless job as Legion kept in constant contact with all Geth at a speed faster than any organic and thus could tell if something was wrong before anyone else.

But then again, they still didn't trust Legion.

Incidentally, bosh'tets.

So while she and (secretly) Legion monitored this whole process, they remained oblivious to Shepard's problems. Some several hours later, Tali simply called it quits, echoing a phrase she had heard one too many times from Jack.

If she wasn't so tired, she'd have indulged Legion in asking as to why she loudly proclaimed, "Fuck it!"

Desperate for bed and her lover's tender embrace, she none too subtly pushed up to their bedroom and keyed the door open. She saw him sitting his desk, fiddling with something, but she wasn't really concerned.

It was more a matter of wondering why his bare ass wasn't in bed yet and calling her in with that sexy, sultry tone of his.

Still, at least he was here and she wouldn't have to hunt him down. She stood behind him rested her head…well right on his, smiling at the amused chuckle he made.

"Long day my love?" She snorted and put her hands on his shoulders.

"They always are. No rest for the wicked right?" Tapping away on his omni-tool, he sealed the door and initiated the decontaminator.

"The wicked sexy only. Ergo why you're worked so damn much." He could still make her blush the bosh'tet.

"Mmm tell me that in the bed. Whatever you're doing can wait. Admiral's orders." He grinned and put his hands over hers.

"5 more minutes Admiral Zorah?"

"That's 6 too many. In the bed or I'll demote you."

"Not in your military sweetheart."

"Who said anything about military? I'll demote you from bed-warmer to couch-warmer."

They both had a good laugh at that, the day's worries shaking away as they did so.

Not giving him much say in the matter, she moved into his lap and leaned against him, her head in the crook of his neck.

When his arms wrapped around her, he clearly must not have minded.

"What are you working on John?" An angry snort left him and he glared at his omni-tool.

"Nothing I can't handle Tali." _Stubborn man…_

"Tell me or I'm not taking off my mask tonight."

"Foul play. I can't change my drone's shell color like yours and Legion's."

No time for teasing, they were both too tired for it. She simply held his arm that contained his omni-tool and tapped away, a minute later the drone now sporting a blue core with a red shell.

"There you go John." She was grinning and he knew it. She also knew that he knew that she didn't care.

"Showoff."

"Mhm. Bed, now." Chuckling, he picked her up and carried them to their bed, laying down with her and pulling her close immediately. She happily complied, removing her mask and wrapping her arms around him.

"How was work with Legion today?" She rolled her eyes and snuggled in closer to him.

"Boring and unnecessary. I am very tempted to tell the Admirals to kiss my ass over this nonsense."

"Mmm tempting offer." She felt his hands slide down and end on her previously mentioned ass.

"It's always a sex thing with you isn't it?"

"I seem to recall it was you who pounced on me before the Omega 4 Relay Tali." She blushed deeply, keeping her head down so he wouldn't see.

_He probably knows anyway the perceptive jerk._

"That was different. Way different. Not even worth discussing. Goodnight Shepard." Reluctantly, she turned away from him and immediately felt cold with without his arms around her.

"Tali."

"Shepard."

Arms around her again, spooning her close. That blush returning full force.

"I never said I didn't like it."

She chose not to respond, too busy enjoying the moment and her memories of their first night together.

Apparently, he had been doing the same as she felt him poke her behind.

"John?"

"We don't have to."

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking right into his eyes.

"Still beautiful I see."

_Well, there goes any hope of sleep we're getting tonight._

She pulled him close and immediately latched her lips onto his. Their night had just begun.

_Currently in an ME2 run through as an Engineer. Very fun to play. Love the drone, wish I could change the color though. _

_It's very cute to watch my drone and Tali's kill across the battlefield. Just like their owners, they never drifted apart._

_Seriously._

_New tack on to the suggestion rule. It doesn't have to be an in-game event or something mentioned in the game or anything like that. If you have an idea, regardless of what it is, I'll give it a whirl._

_Ciao_


	11. Unbelievable

_Phil I swear I'm working on your suggestion. This was just too fun an idea to pass up._

_So an anon suggested a Shepard fan club on the Rayya, with everyone's favorite Quarian as the president. _

_Hell, no matter how out of character that is, I am still doing it. _

_This should be fun._

_Ciao_

Whilst Shepard was briefing the Admirals on the Reaper threat, Tali had taken to losing herself in nostalgia. Being back on her home-ship brought pleasant memories to mind.

Having Shepard helped as well, adding tawdry fantasies to the mix.

Oh she wasn't naïve or careless. She knew that something would never happen between the two of them and she wasn't reckless enough to try shagging him on the Rayya.

The walls weren't soundproof for one.

Still, at least she had the fantasies. They never told her that he didn't love her, that she wasn't beautiful, that she wasn't-

"Hellooooo Shepard to Tali. Anyone in there?"

Snapped out of her fondest desires, she whirled about to face Shepard, crimson staining her cheeks.

_Keelah, thank the Ancestors for this cursed mask._

"S-sorry Shepard. Just thinking." He chuckled and she knew he was grinning behind his helmet.

"Hmm Tali is thinking. What about ladies and gentlemen? My money is on her solving the secrets of the universe. Y'know, in her spare time when she's not being a badass." Her blush only deepened at his kind words. Well, mostly kind anyway.

"Hush you. I'm always 100 percent badass."

"Oh yeah that's why all badasses stare off into space for an hour. Yeah way to keep up the image Tali." He laughed when she pushed him back, muttering a Quarian insult at him.

"What's the human phrase? Home court advantage? Well I have that here Shepard. Don't tick me off."

"Oh a challenge is it Miss vas Normandy? Fine, if you win I'll do whatever you want for a day. You lose, same thing but vice versa." She let a thoughtful noise escape her.

"Alright Captain. What's the game?"

"Simple. Show me around your home ship and if you aren't embarrassed at the end, I'll concede."

_No! No no no no no not a good idea! No back out Tali!_

"Shepard it's nothing special. I mean they'd have given my room to another Quarian by now and even then the ship isn't something worth seeing there's no ascetics about it and-"

"Tali, you're rambling."

_Oh. Crap._

"Sorry Shepard. It's not intentional really. It's just a defense mechanism and-"

"Hold up. A defense mechanism? Sounds more like you're using that to get out of this here challenge Tali." She could tell he was smirking and it both infuriated her and made her shudder with desire.

"I just don't want to okay? Can we just leave it at that?" Her exasperated tone gave Shepard pause and he seemed to take this in, giving his response after a short time.

"Alright Tali. I won't force it on you. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

_You never do that Shepard…I could only be more comfortable if I was truly with you…_

"It's okay Shepard. Let's just go back to the Normandy."

"Wait, did my audio detectors hear that right? Shepard? As in Commander Shepard?" The new voice drew their attention to a young Quarian woman. Her suit looked familiar to Shepard and for Tali, she suddenly became a lot more anxious.

"Wait a minute, that's a Pilgrimage suit. So you must be going out on yours soon. Guess you were given the history lesson so that's how you know me." Evidently Shepard had paid more attention to her people's history and culture than Tali had thought.

_Keelah could he be any more desirable now?_

"You are mostly correct Commander." She paused to bow oddly enough. "I am Ari'Razo nar Rayya. It's so great to finally meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine but what did you mean by mostly correct?" Ari seemed to look surprised at this and looked to Tali actually who was looking elsewhere and inching further and further away from the two of them.

"Well I learned all about you from President Tali who was very informative on the matter."

That caught Shepard's attention.

"Wait a minute. President? President of what?" He looked to Tali to find her almost out of the room. "Tali, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

She visibly froze where she stood, panic and fear gripping her tightly. She didn't even move as she heard Shepard approaching her. Evidently he could see she was anxious.

"Tali? Is everything okay?" It was a while before she a responded, a minor shake of her head. Words were proving a challenge right now.

That only got harder when she felt Shepard's arms around her again, turning red as Wrex's armor. She wasn't going to waste the chance and returned the hug gladly.

Their moment was interrupted with a soft "Aww" from Ari. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him and looked right at him.

"I know you have questions Shepard. I…I just want to go but…"

"Um…I can field this if you like President." Tali sighed heavily, knowing that he would let this go if she really wanted him to. But she was raised to think of others first.

"It's your call Ari."

"Oh. Well…I know about you because of…well…your fan club…" Shepard seemed surprised at this, mostly cause he didn't know he had one.

"I thought the Fleet rarely got extranet access."

"Well that is true Commander but um…we didn't get our information from the extranet. We got it from Tali…who started the club actually." Poor Ari felt so guilty now, exposing something like this about her friend to her secret crush.

Speaking of said Quarian, Tali did not look to be okay.

"Tali, you started this? That is actually…"

_Here it comes._

"Very flattering."

_Wait, what?_

She snapped around to face him, surprise all over her.

"What do you mean flattering? This is…creepy! And odd and I don't even know what I was thinking and-" She stopped herself as she saw his finger rest on her vocalizer.

"Tali, I really don't mind. If anything, I think it's cute." She relaxed at that, perhaps a bit too much as she fell forward in the process only to be caught by Shepard.

"Heh, I think we've been here long enough." He nodded to Ari before picking up Tali in his arms like a bride and carrying her off.

Both never heard the squeal of joy from Ari.

_As I said, too fun to pass up. _

_Ari isn't an OC really. I found a name generator and that was one of the results. _

_Anyway, another reviewer has suggested having Rael survive Tali's loyalty mission and for Shepard and Tali's relationship ousted while they are on the Geth Dreadnaught. _

_Sounds like fun._

_Phil first though. They've waited long enough._

_Ciao_


	12. Anguish

_So here, finally, is Phil's suggestion. Sorry it took so long._

_As for your second one, I may just skip the birds and the bees speech altogether. I understand it is a vital component but I don't know that much about human, let alone quarian, biology. _

_I might just make it into a some simple alone time for them, laden with kissing and the like if that's preferable._

_I can keep the teenage age bit if you like. Should be fun to work with._

_Let me know what you think._

_Ciao_

Tali didn't know what to expect when she and Shepard boarded the Alarei. Well that wasn't true she knew there would be Geth on board and probably some of her people huddled away in the bowels of the ship, trying to stay alive.

Seeing a dead Quarian at the entrance though did not help her nervous state. She had to watch as her team was massacred on Freedom's Progress and on Haestrom. She didn't think she'd ever get used to seeing dead Quarians.

She didn't know how Shepard did it sometimes. How he still managed to move past body after body, complete the mission, and go back to work. He was either soulless or he bled when no one was watching.

She really hoped it was the latter as horrible as that was to say.

Still, they had a job to do and she needed to focus. Evidently Shepard had noticed her state and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it hurts Tali. But you need to keep a cool head. We'll bury them all later once we've taken out their killers."

He was right. Keelah he was always right. It became a joke amongst the Normandy crew that Shepard was never wrong about anything. It only got funnier when it was proven to be true.

"I'll be fine Shepard. Let's…let's get this over with." He nodded but kept his hand on her still.

"If you want, we can talk about this back on the Normandy. It's something I unfortunately have experience in." She put her hand up on his and smiled behind her mask.

"Thank you Shepard. You're a good friend."

"Aw only a good one? Looks like I'll have to try harder." She giggled and they resumed their walk through the ship.

Unsurprisingly, it was not a peaceful trip.

_If there's one thing I can say about the Geth, it's that they are very resourceful bosh'tets._

This thought did little to help their situation however as she stood up to fire a point blank shotgun blast at a Geth Hunter that had gotten way too close for her liking. Seeing the damn thing's "head" explode was very pleasing.

Taking a plasma shot to her arm was not. She at least managed not to scream in pain though, instead doubling her efforts to kill the Geth.

None of this helped for when they found her father.

He looked awful. Multiple suit punctures, blood leaking from each one, a cracked mask and a very badly twisted leg. The grim truth painted an even grimmer realization.

_He's not going to make it!_

"Father!" She ran to him and held him close, tears already swarming her eyes.

"Ugh…Tali? Is that you my daughter?" His voice was strained and it made her wince. He didn't have long.

"Yes Father it's me. I'm here and…and…" She couldn't take it, letting the tears flow freely as she cried. A hand on the side of her mask drew her attention though.

"My daughter…always so caring. Even when I never deserved it."

"No Father you did!"

"Tali, I don't have long my child. I won't waste this chance like I have every other one." Through the crack she could see him smile. "I love you my daughter. You have always made me proud." He turned to Shepard suddenly, catching the Spectre by surprise.

"You are Shepard yes? Tali spoke volumes of you. Take care of her. Build her the house on the homeworld. Cherish her, as I should have done her whole life. Promise me this." Shepard kneeled down and looked Rael right in the eye.

"I promise." Rael nodded and looked back to Tali.

"Well, at least I did something right. Goodbye Tali. I love you." She sniffled, wishing she could wipe her tears away right now.

"I love you too Father." She saw another smile cross his face and then his eyes shut for the last time.

She couldn't hold herself back anymore and fully gave over to her sadness. She felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace and she immediately wrapped her arms around Shepard. She let the tears run freely down her face as she pressed her helmet tight against his chest. She felt him rubbing her back soothingly and she wanted to enjoy it. It was just too hard right now.

"Damnit…damnit! Why does tragedy always follow us Shepard! Garrus gets betrayed, Samara's daughter becomes a killer, you die and then are treated like a traitor when you come back and now my Father is dead! Why do we always have to suffer!" He didn't respond, simply holding her closer as if that would chase all her away.

In a sense it did. She was still crying but she was now truly aware of his arms around her. It was a bittersweet moment regardless of how welcome it was. She just stood there, held in his arms and crying her heart out, gasping out comments about the unfairness of it all.

It felt like hours when she finally stopped, still holding onto Shepard and still being held by him. She had cried until she had no more tears left and yet she wasn't any better. Worse, a realization hit her like a runaway ship.

_Keelah, I just broke down in front of him…he'll never trust me on missions again now…_

"I'm sorry Shepard…I didn't mean for that to happen and-"

"Sorry? What in the hell have you got to be sorry for Tali? I cried when my dad just as hard as you did. You have nothing to apologize for." His words calmed her somewhat but not enough to assuage her fears.

"Still, I-I shouldn't do things like that out in the field and it was unprofessional and-" A rough sigh from Shepard interrupted her and she looked up at him to see him…glaring at her.

_Oh no…_

"Tali, though I realize the phrase isn't correct, it's what I've got. You're only human Tali. You bleed just like the rest of us, you cry just like the rest of us. You don't have to be an emotionless badass all the damn time." His words rang true, they always did, but she had to argue the point.

"But not out in the field Shepard! You're counting on us all to fight and protect each other and not break down and cry in the middle of a mission!"

"Tali, look at us right now. You were crying and I held you close all the while. Does that sound like what soldiers do?"

"Well no of course not. They-"

"Then if we're not soldiers right now, that makes us people. People with faults and emotions. Masks break Tali, and for about half an hour there your soldier mask broke. There's nothing wrong with having a heart Tali, no matter what kind of trouble you think it would cause."

"You can't be sure of that."

"Haven't you learned by now?" He paused to put his hands on the sides of her helmet, where her cheeks would be. Coincidentally, she felt her cheeks burn up at the contact.

"I'm Commander Shepard. I'm always sure and I'm always right. I listened to my heart when I first recruited you. I listened to my heart when I came to get you again on Haestrom and again when this whole trial nonsense started. If I had listened to my head, then you'd probably have been left for dead in that alley two years ago." He paused again to chuckle oddly enough. "Frankly Tali, my brain is an idiot when it's not being a soldier. I'd rather hear my heart any day. And it screamed that you needed a friend so I obliged." In some strange way what he said made sense. For a human anyway.

"Quarians don't work that way Shepard."

"Oh I know. You prefer to see things logically. But hey, first time for everything right? Give your heart a listen next time Miss vas Normandy. It's never wrong." With that, he pulled back, smiled at her, and headed off into the ship.

"Take your time Tali. I'll try not to save the day without you." His laugh echoed along the room where she and her late father were. It wasn't the first time she had decided to take his advice, so what was the harm this time?

"Alright heart, what do you suggest I do?"

The rather sordid response she got made her seriously rethink ever asking her heart again.

_The heart is a big part of my, lets go with, beliefs. I feel that the brain is the logical component and the heart is the emotional component. It is never wrong and always says what it knows to be the right thing to do, no matter what that may be. _

_But that's just me._

_Thanks for reading._

_Ciao_


	13. Surprise!

_So here's PATR10TJD's second suggestion. I felt like we could use a dose of humor after the previous one._

_The premise is that Rael survives Tali's loyalty mission in ME2. He returns as part of the Admiralty in ME3 and is in the War Room when Shepard, Tali and, in this case, Vega are taking out the Geth Dreadnaught. The humor component stems from the fact that the Admirals, and Rael among them, find out about Tali and Shepard's relationship through the mikes in their helmets that EDI has broadcast to the War Room. _

_No this isn't meant to be a joke. In terms of strategy it would make sense. Keep the Admirals appraised of mission updates and such. But hey, it's a story. Who cares._

_So yeah, they get ousted and Rael blows a gasket about it. _

_Hey wait is that casket or gasket?_

_Ah doesn't matter. On with the show._

_Ciao_

Not for the first time since she saved his life back on the Alarei, Rael'Zorah was worried about his daughter's safety. When she herself blasted that Geth Hunter to bits just as it was about to land the killing blow, he had seen for himself just what Tali had become.

She was happy to see him alive, but he could tell the smile wasn't real. He couldn't say he blamed her, he had been a terrible father all her life. Now that the war was happening, it seemed as good a time as any to start improving.

He at least had some practice time in those 6 months she was back on the Flotilla. When he first came to her, he saw her shoulders sag for a moment before she straightened herself up into a formal pose. He knew she was only doing what she had become used to doing around him but still, it hurt. It was probably why she was so surprised when he threw composure to the solar wind and hugged her.

He did everything he could to be a better father after that and little by little, it was helping. When something was needed for him to do, he went to her first to see if she wouldn't mind helping him on it. His daughter had become very smart over the years, another trait he should have noticed earlier he knew.

Still, things were finally looking up. When they made contact with Admiral Hackett and were told that Captain Shepard would be meeting with them, she perked up immediately. He thought it would do her some good to see her friends again.

At least this time, he was right about his daughter. She was much happier with seeing them all again. She seemed very happy to see Shepard, though he assumed it was cause he was here to help them destroy the Geth.

Well that was about to change.

"Man this is one weird ship design. No lights, no art, it's so boring." The voice of James Vega came in through the intercom. Rael had briefly seen him when they first entered the Normandy.

"The Geth don't focus on ascetics Vega. They build for function, not fashion." His daughter's voice replied to the marine, bringing a smile to his face as he at least knew she was still okay now.

"Okay I get that, but it still looks boring. I'm not saying they need to throw a fiesta in here but would it kill them to have a window or something?"

"Geth don't use windows. Structural weaknesses." The Commander spoke this time. It was the second time he had said that and it still seemed odd that he would either guess that about the Geth or know it. It did make sense it was just surprising to hear.

"Sheesh then how about some more lights at least? _Me he tropezado cada cinco pies malditos!_" Rael's translator did not pick up what the marine had said. Based on his tone, it was probably some kind of profanity.

"To be fair they probably haven't paid their electric bill in a while so there's your answer." The marine laughed at that and Tali giggled as well. He wasn't sure what the joke was about but evidently she knew. Good enough for him

"I _appreciate_ what you're doing here Shepard." Her tone sounded…oddly heavy…

"Well, I care deeply about the Quarian people." Well at least someone did. The whole galaxy calling them thieves…

"It's good to be back on the Normandy."

"Let me know if it's too quiet for you to sleep and I'll find you someplace louder." Wait…what?

"Hmm…"

"Uh am I missing something here?"

"Shepard and Tali became physically intimate during the fight against the Collectors." EDI's synthetic tone rang out. Suddenly the War Room got a whole lot quieter.

"Gee thanks EDI."

"WHAT?!" Evidently the connection worked both ways as the ground team just heard Rael's rather loud comment.

"Ohhh this can't be good. I am so sorry I asked Shepard."

"Physically intimate?! Tali what were you thinking! You could have gotten killed and for what!"

"EDI I am going to rip you apart and shove you into Tikkun!"

"Shepard, I am detecting elevated stress levels in Tali'Zorah. May I suggest you calm her down with further intimacy? The Geth ship is actually quite sterile."

"I WILL DESTROY YOU FOR THIS EDI! Shepard you can't seriously be taking her-It is not sterile don't-"

"Wow Commander. I didn't know you could be spontaneously romantic. Or that either of you could bend that way. But is this really the time for you two to-"

Rael promptly shut off the intercom himself at that point, naturally fuming at what he had just heard. Raan was doing her best not to burst out laughing, Xen looked like she always did, completely uncaring, and Han was not being helpful at all.

"Rael, she had to…grow up sometime."

"Han, shut up. Just shut up."

_Vega's Spanish is supposed to translate to "I've tripped every five damn feet!" But that was on a Google Translator soooo_

_Anyway, leave your suggestions and I'll see what I can do._

_Next up, one of my ideas._

_Ciao_


	14. Aftermath

_Watching some of the Citadel DLC videos got me thinking. If a FemShep can wake up the next morning having shagged either Vega or Javik (which incidentally never stops being hilarious) then couldn't ManShep have a drunken tryst with someone as well? _

_Plus there's the fact that Tali is wasted from basically the start of the party. If she was drunk enough to get an omni-tattoo, I'd think she was drunk enough to fall into bed with the Commander._

_Speaking of, I'll put lunchmeat5000's suggestion in next. It'll take some creativity, and will likely be shorter than the others in this collection, but it'll be there._

_Anyway, curtains rise!_

_Ciao_

As any one that drinks would tell you, hangovers after a party suck. Hell hangovers in general suck. Mostly they just serve to remind the individual that drinking has a hell of a consequence.

Well except for people like Jack who didn't get hangovers goddammit.

Naturally for everyone else at the party who drank a lot, they woke up with very heavy hangovers. Commander Shepard's was not better. Hell to him, he felt like someone dropped the Citadel right on him. An oddly warm Citadel but whatever. Still, they had to get back to it at some point and so with a heavy sigh, Shepard opened his eyes and-

_Wait a minute, since when is my room purple? Did someone change the light or something?_

Forgoing any hangover pain, Shepard decided to get up and investigate. His first clue came when his vision was fogging up.

_That doesn't happen unless…_

Reaching for his face, his fingers met glass instead of his skin which only confused him further. He found he could pick up the glass however which also happened to remove the purple vision he was getting.

_Okay so this was the problem. What was it anyway-Oh fuck._

An accurate comment as Commander Shepard was currently holding a mask. Not just any mask, but Tali's mask at that.

_Why the hell was I wearing it? Wait, where is Tali? Oh shit she's going to be sick!_

He made to sit up only to find a heavy weight keep him down. He looked to see what it was and felt his entire body blush.

For there, laying on him, was a naked Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Incidentally, he wasn't clothed either. You don't get many other conclusions from this kind of evidence.

_I slept with Tali…I slept with Tali…Oh this can't be good. I mean it's great but it's not good for her!_

Despite how elated he was at finally getting to be with his secret love, he wasn't too pleased at the circumstances of it all. He would rather have liked to remember their night together. Furthermore there was the fact that she was naked and had no protection from her suit. So, with great reluctance, he woke her up.

In Tali's mind, she knew she would never drink again. These "hangovers" as humans called them were the worst thing ever. She'd had an easier time fighting the Geth than she had dealing with this nightmare. Still, she had to wake up because someone or something was poking her and it was getting really annoying.

"Whoever you are, stop doing that. I have a shotgun." She mumbled out, hoping it would drive them off.

"I'm afraid I need to insist Tali." That got her attention and her eyes flew open, looking up at Shepard with surprise.

"Shepard? I'm not in the best state but do you need me for something?" She blushed a little at his closeness.

"Yeaaaaaah I'm going to need you to get off me…and um…put your suit back on. Y'know, before you die."

_Get off him? Put my…MY SUIT?!_

She looked at herself and found, to her shock and horror that her suit was indeed off. She scrambled off him and looked for the pieces of her suit, which had made their way all across the room. Of course she didn't notice in her frantic state that Shepard had been trying very hard not to stare at her naked body. A task that would prove hazardous as he felt the blood rush to…well you can guess where.

I gotta keep this somewhat civil here!

Oh right the story. Tali on the other hand had managed to find the pieces of her suit and yet she didn't want to put them back on. She took in the situation and looked over at Shepard, who had a pillow over his groin.

"Uh…I guess we…"

"Yeah. Guess we did. We uh…we did."

Feeling bolder than she had before, Tali moved back to the bed and sat down next to him, turning herself to face him.

"Was it…good?"

"To be honest, I don't remember. I think there was a lot of drinking during the party. I even found Grunt half asleep in the shower."

"Oh. So it was just…drunken sex." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You sound disappointed." Her eyes widened and she raised her hands defensively.

"No no! I'm sure it was great! Just…Keelah I don't know Shepard!" She put her head in her hands then and cried softly. "I certainly didn't plan on this! What am I supposed to say?" Her words rang true and he pulled her close suddenly, wrapping his arms around her. She blushed madly at the contact, even more so after the heavy moan she let out at the contact.

"Wow. Guess your skin is really sensitive huh?" She nodded ever so slightly, finding words to be rather challenging right now. They simply lay there for a while, letting silence overtake them until she risked it by wrapping her arms around him.

"Tali?"

"Shepard…John. I have wanted this for so long. Even if neither of us can remember it, I'm still happy." He said nothing for a while until he put his hands on her cheeks and turned her to face him gently.

"The best thing about memories is that you can always make new ones Tali."

He leaned in close and kissed her passionately, and she quickly responding in turn. Through that alone, it was clear that they both wanted this, a revelation that made her very happy. The burning need for air though pulled them apart, leaving them both panting lightly.

"It admittedly isn't how I wanted to start us off Tali but," he paused to give her a charming smile. "Will you let me try again?" She smiled back at him and kissed him this time.

"Of course. Now," she straddled him suddenly. "What was that you were saying about new memories?"

_Other time-consuming distractions made the original structure of this forgotten. Ergo why the ending kinda sucks._

_But there it is regardless. Hope you liked it._

_Ciao._


	15. Mine

_Silhouette55 suggested a while back I try making Shepard get rather jealous when an old friend hits on Tali. I think I initially said this was proving difficult._

_It was proving difficult to write. So now I have some inspiration and I've been playing through ME3. _

_Ah, good times._

_Anyway, I've prattled on enough._

_Ciao_

In the aftermath of the Reaper War, the unity Shepard had bred continued to grow. The various species quickly began to work together, giving each other vital supplies and other forms of aid without hesitation. To the Savior of the Galaxy, this was something to truly take pride in. He had succeeded in achieving galactic peace and lived to tell the tale.

Yet that wasn't what he was grinning like an idiot about.

It was more that he was currently kneeling in front of his beloved Quarian, his head pressed against her stomach as his arms held her close.

"I take it you're happy Shepard?" Tali ran her hands along his cropped hair, enjoying the feel of it through her suit. He nodded, nuzzling her in the process.

"How could I not be? This is the second best day I've ever had in my life." That made her smile and somewhat curious.

"Second best John?" He kisses her stomach and looked up at her.

"The first was when I heard this wonderful Quarian woman tell me she loved me." She purred and pressed her vocalizer to his forehead.

"She still does you wonderful bosh'tet." He buried his head back in her stomach and closed his eyes in contentment. She was more than happy to let him have a well-deserved moment of peace. Still, he got up eventually, bringing her up with him and into a tender embrace.

"I love you Tali."

"I love you too Shepard." They eventually pulled apart, walking along hand in hand in a simple moment to themselves…

"Tali'Zorah!" Both turned their heads to see another Quarian coming towards them. His suit was a dark green with black accents to it while his visor was a deep crimson. Shepard didn't know this man and apparently Tali didn't either.

"I'm sorry?" The male stopped in front of them and smiled behind his mask.

"Well it has been years so no harm done. Kar'Den vas Moreh." Tali's eyes lit up in recognition and she hugged the other quarian, breaking apart from Shepard in the process.

Suddenly, Shepard _hated_ this Quarian.

"Kar it's been so long! How have you been?" She pulled away from him and stood back at Shepard's side.

"Busy for the most part. Admiral Xen worked us hard to develop the Geth countermeasures. I spent most of my time on the Syncing Laser actually. Glad to hear it worked." Tali nodded and the two quickly launched into an animated discussion about the Laser. Shepard was just happy it had worked.

Still, he couldn't help but notice the subtle gestures this Kar'Den was making. Quarians had to specialize in body language and from his time with Tali and the N7 program, he had learned a fair bit. As they talked, he saw Kar inch ever so closer to Tali and it made his blood boil. Would Tali appreciate his intervening though?

Said Quarian checked her omni-tool and gasped at the time.

"Keelah! I'm sorry Kar'Den but we need to get going!" That brought a smile to Shepard's face.

"I understand Tali. The life of an Admiral is never unoccupied. However," He got closer again and Shepard let a small growl escape him. It went unnoticed however. "Perhaps you'd like to meet again later? Despite Earth's damage there are still some places around and they do cater to dextros."

Shepard could tell Tali had stiffened from Kar's proposal and it made him want to jump for joy. Kar obviously did not see it, which was just one more point in Shepard's favor.

"Well Kar that is nice but-"

"Oh I assure you the food will be purified and I'm sure we'll have a great time." Shepard had had enough. He possessively wrapped his arms around Tali's waist, uncaring for the wide-eyed expression beyond Kar's mask.

"Look kid, in your culture you don't mess with another Quarian's mate. So buzz off or I will make you eat your mask." Shepard glared harder at this kid than he had at the Reaper back on Rannoch. Alas, the kid had more balls then brains.

"I hadn't heard that she had bonded with another Quarian, human. As we are all informed of any bonded couples on the Flotilla, you must be misinformed." Kar glared right back at Shepard and Tali could feel the tension between them. Still, she couldn't help but blush at hearing Shepard call her his mate.

"Guess again. I know for a fact she is bonded."

"Again, you must be wrong. There has been no new announcement of any bonded Quarian couples."

"Gee, could it be because she isn't bonded to a Quarian?"

Kar snorted, hardening his glare.

"She is too good for any other race. She shouldn't have to lower herself to be with any one other than one of our people." He felt Tali growl at that. He knew she was tired of people deciding what was best for her. A smirk crossed his face as the idea came.

"Well, who would know better than that than Tali herself?" He looked down at her, still smirking. "What do you think Tali'Zorah?" She was smirking back and he knew it.

"Mmm be with my own kind or be with an alien. Decisions decisions decisions." Deciding that enough was enough with this game, she promptly leapt up into Shepard's arms, wrapping hers around his neck happily.

"Shepard is my bondmate Kar, and I couldn't be happier." Grinning victoriously at Kar, he walked off with Tali in his arms, happy that she was his.

"You know Shepard, that was pretty sexy."

"Happy to oblige Miss vas Normandy." She pulled an arm back to rest it on her stomach with a smile.

"You know, I think our little ones agree as well."

_I know, this was supposed to be lunchmeat5000's suggestion. This was what I had the inspiration for however._

_Next up? Not sure. Have an idea of my own and again, lunchmeat5000's suggestion. Heh, omni-tattoo._

_Well anyway, thanks for reading._

_Ciao_


	16. Growl

_Here was a snippet I thought up while working on Stains of Time. Enjoy the brief interlude. Also it's because I wanted to finish this now and take a break from the big story._

_Ciao_

_Oh, and Shepard is Earthborn and Ruthless in this scenario. So Renegade essentially._

* * *

><p>Right now, Shepard was in heaven.<p>

Oh not literally of course. He was merely immensely pleased with his current situation. After all, it wasn't everyday one got to use a Quarian's lap as a pillow while said Quarian stroked his hair back fondly. The deep, pleased sound he made all the while made her smile.

"Shepard, are you purring?" He chuckled and looked up at her.

"Yes and no. Before Torfan, we were fighting Batarians in urban environments. Forests and all that shit. Anyway, turned out the Batarians use this little growl of sorts to communicate amongst themselves to avoid relaying critical information that we might intercept." She nodded along as he spoke.

"Sound tactic. Did it work?"

"It seemed to. Interrogation methods allowed us to emulate it and so we did. Tried to confuse them mostly."

"Any luck?"

"Nope. Turns out the Batarians had organs that we didn't that made the hidden meanings clear. After a few fuck-ups, we stopped using it."

"Soooo why are you doing it now?"

"Cause I am very happy and my body is reacting accordingly."

"I thought human bodies showed their happiness another way." He grinned at her.

"For me, that is only for you my love." She smiled and touched her helmet to his forehead.

"Thank you. Otherwise I'd have to make my claim on you much more known." He smirked and placed his hand where her cheek would be.

"I don't think I'd mind that very much Miss vas Normandy."

"You better not Mister vas Normandy." They smiled at each other, Shepard pressing a kiss to her vocalizer.

"So the growl purr thing?"

"Ultimately it is involuntary. You might have heard me growl in fights at times. Those are usually out of anger. This time its just cause I'm very happy and content with you stroking my hair back."

"So I should keep doing this then?"

"I would certainly appreciate it."

"Happy to oblige John."

"Thank you my love." She purred as well and resumed stroking his hair back.

"Do all Quarians purr or is it just you?"

"Just me my human. It's a Tali thing."

"Mmm the perfect kind of thing." They stayed in silence after that, the sounds of their shared purring the only tune in the cabin. Until Tali got curious.

"John?"

"You rang love?"

"I did. May I ask you something?"

"I'd be insulted if you couldn't."

"Bosh'tet. Why are you so kind to me?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"John I'm serious. Back on the SR-1, you worked hard to make sure I was comfy. Same thing here. I've seen you be so callous and cruel to others but to me, you've never been anything but kind. Why?"

Shepard sighed deeply, moving his head from Tali's lap and getting up, moving in front of her as he paced about slowly. She waited patiently for an answer all the while.

"To be honest Tali, I saw myself in you the first time we had a chat. That bright-eyed optimism reminded me of, well, me when I was a kid." He moved into a sitting position next to her, cracking his stiff neck.

"So at first, it was a chance to see old memories. Granted they were in a much shapelier form." He grinned at her and she punched his shoulder.

"Bosh'tet."

"Thank you. Anyway, the more time I spent with you the more I realized that was a folly. You weren't me, you were you. I had to start seeing you as such." He paused to sigh heavily, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

"Then the Collector's attacked and well…two years later and I found you again. You had changed. You were…weary. Angry. I looked at you and I knew that you weren't the same kid I had roped into my insane journey the first time." She placed her head on his shoulder abruptly.

"Am I really so changed to you Shepard?" He chuckled and kissed her head.

"I'm probably saying this the wrong way. You did change, but much to continued joy, it was not into me. You still have your moments of cynicism, like me, but you're also more…well human essentially. You're alive, even when you're angry." He shook his head to himself. "I'm just angry."

She took one of his hands in hers and held it as a lover would.

"If you're nothing but anger John, how can these tools of destruction bring me such happiness?"

"If that's your way of saying I have good finger strength for orgasms then compliment very much appreciated."

"Bosh'tet!" She whacked him on the back of his head and he laughed, falling back on the bed in feigned injury. "Why did I ever choose to share myself with you?"

At that he smiled, moving back up and putting his hands on her mask seals. On reflex, she moved to stop him. One look into his gentle, red eyes though told her it was going to be okay. She moved her hands back down and let him remove her mask.

"Because you love me Tali'Zorah. And I am so kind to you because I love you." She smiled back at him and the two shared a kiss.

* * *

><p><em>Just a random thought.<em>

_Happy Holidays readers and viewers._

_Spend it with those you love and hold dear._

_Ciao_


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